1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) management. More specifically, the present invention relates to storage, flight planning, and data collection from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
2. Description of the Related Art
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is a flying device that does not require an onboard pilot, and is typically piloted by remote control, autonomously, or some combination thereof. UAVs often include cameras. In recent years, UAVs have become increasingly affordable and popular in part due to the proliferation of smaller, more powerful, more energy-efficient, and more affordable computers, GPS receivers, cameras, and other electronic components.
UAVs are also sometimes popularly referred to as “drones,” though some consider the term “drone” to refer to a subset of UAVs that can be operated out of eyeshot of an operator and beyond line of sight.
Though UAVs allow for the automation of certain tasks, typical UAVs must still be micromanaged. In particular, a user with a collection (e.g., a “fleet”) of multiple UAVs typically needs to manually program a flight path individually for each UAV. Each UAV typically must periodically return to the user so that the user can hook up the UAV to an outlet to recharge a battery onboard the UAV, so that the user can refill a fuel container onboard the UAV, so that the user can fix a hardware/software issue with the UAV, so that the user can receive data collected by the UAV, or so that the UAV can be recalled due to poor weather or adverse defensive conditions such as gunfire. Some UAV's flying abilities may be hampered by heat, cold, dust, moisture, sand, salt water, frost, rain, mist, ice, snow, smoke, heavy winds, tornadoes, monsoons, storms, sandstorms, acid rain, radiation, or air pollution.
Typically, a “home base” for a UAV is an identified patch of ground near a user of the UAV, sometimes near a power outlet, generator, or fuel source for recharging or refueling the UAV. Identifying such a home base by a user managing multiple UAVs may result in confusion or collisions in situations where multiple UAVs may try to land at the same home base, or could alternately result in a waste of space by granting various multiple permanent home base spots to multiple UAVs even when some home bases are empty due to their corresponding UAVs being out flying. Additionally, such a home base generally does not protect the UAV from adverse weather or adverse defensive conditions, such as gunfire, and may be conspicuous and difficult to conceal. This may in turn endanger the UAV or its user in a defensive situation such as a warzone, or tip off a criminal that UAV-based security may be present.
Therefore, there is a need for improved UAV management and storage methods and systems.